“Three dimensional printing” as an art includes various methods such as Stereolithography (SLA) and Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF). SLA produces high-resolution parts, typically not durable or UV-stable, and is used for proof-of-concept work; while FFF extrudes through a nozzle successive filament beads of ABS or a similar polymer.
In the art of “Composite Lay-up”, preimpregnated (“prepreg”) composite sheets of fabric impregnated with a resin binder are layered into a mold, heated, and cured. In “Composite Filament Winding” sticky “tows” including multiple thousands of individual carbon strands are wound around a custom mandrel to form a rotationally symmetric part.
Continuous fiber prepreg materials (continuous tows of multiple fiber strands with a thermoplastic, thermosetting, or energy curing resin matrix) may be manufactured, and may be 3D printed with certain devices and/or processes.